


Alliance

by strangescottishmagic



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 10:30:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4056703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangescottishmagic/pseuds/strangescottishmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to seal the alliance between the Fairy Kingdom and the Dark Forest, it is agreed that the heirs of the throne will be married when they have both turned 18.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alliance

When Marianne was two, her future became set in stone. In order to end a long war with the Dark Forest, her father - the Fairy King - promised her hand in marriage to the young prince of that land. When her father came to tell her, all she asked was whether she'd have to leave the Fairy Kingdom. When her father told her that she most likely would live in the Dark Forest, she vaguely remembered feeling a shiver shoot up her spine, though she couldn't tell you now if it had been out of fear or excitement.

* * *

 

At the age of five, her sister Dawn was born. Her mother never recovered from giving birth, and died a few months later. But in those last few months, as if she knew she was running out of time to bestow wisdom to her eldest daughter, the queen spent almost all of her time with Marianne. 

She told Marianne of ways to be a good older sister, and to remember that even if they fought, they would always have each other. She suggested that Marianne help her sister to become as good a ruler as she would be one day, so that if Marianne ever did leave for the Dark Forest, she could trust Dawn with the regency. She asked that Marianne try and be a fair and just ruler, but reminded her that it was ok to make mistakes as well, as long as she did her best to fix them. But the last thing she said to her daughter was what stuck with her the most. She said that Marianne did not have to love her betrothed, she didn't even have to like him. But the alliance was necessary for the survival of their people, and so she would have to put her feelings aside. Marianne promised she would.

Most of what her mother said, she didn't really understand until she was much older, but Marianne grew to learn to put her people above all else. She truly did believe that it was what a good ruler should do (and a good ruler is exactly what she wanted to be), but it didn't hurt that every time she helped her people, she was always reminded of her mother.

* * *

 

At seven, she learned his name. "What kind of name is Bog?" She asked her father. 

"Well it's technically his title - the Bog King - but it does appear to also be his name. It must be a goblin custom. Who knows, maybe he thinks your name is odd too."

It made Marianne giggle, but she always liked to believe that it was true.

* * *

 

Her father had thanked his lucky stars that she hadn't become infatuated with someone, as young girls were want to do - though she always had seemed above that sort of thing. However, what he hadn't realised, was that the only reason for this was because all the fairies knew of her betrothal, and who would flirt with an engaged princess. 

So, when suddenly a young knight started showering a seventeen year old Marianne with compliments, she fell hard. In fact, though the marriage was just less than a year away, she had almost called it off. In fact, she'd been going to surprise Roland with her plan when she found him kissing another girl.

She spent the next few days in her room, claiming she felt ill. Of course her father had sent the court healer to her, and at first Marianne had panicked at the thought that she'd have to explain why she was pretending to be ill. However, as soon as the healer saw her tear stained face, they'd declared the princess had caught a minor illness, and would be better in no time. Marianne had been prescribed rest and solitude, and every week after that  the healer received a basket of the finest food the castle had to offer.

When she did finally emerge, she'd moved from sadness to anger and rage. She'd almost gone back on the last thing her mother had said to her. She'd almost broken her promise. And all for a _boy_. She left her room with a new level of determination to see this marriage go through, a new desire to make sure nothing could ever hurt her again, but also with a new resolve to never fall in love again.


End file.
